Like many of you, I come to DKos to get away from Paris Hilton and all the other tabloid obsessions of the MSM. However, the number of recent threads alluding to Miss Hilton led me to question the presumption of her political irrelevance—and after some thought, it came to me that her recent travails just might be the harbinger of a significant shift in the public zeitgeist. (Bear with me now....)
First, let’s consider Paris herself. Not all that interesting, really—obviously very rich, very spoiled, and as many have noted here not outstandingly attractive, personable, or talented. From all indications she is narcissistically self-absorbed, materialistic, and living a permissive life of privilege like many wealthy young socialites before her. Her scandalous behaviors would have been limited to the society/gossip pages in years past, and even her sexual notoriety is in itself nothing new. (Internet video, however, is.) Wealthy socialite divas of this sort have been with us always. My personal point of reference is a memorable episode of "The Young Ones" in which our heroics yobs from Scumbag College are pitted against the upper-class twits of Footlights College on the TV quiz show "University Challenge"—and Miss Money-Stirling (portrayed by a not-yet-famous famous Emma Thompson) responds to a question by blurting out the non sequitur "I’ve got a Porsche! BWAHAHAHA!!!"
So how did this run-of-the-mill rich brat become elevated to her current level of celebrity? Well, the obvious answer is that the gossip column has moved to the front page in recent years, which is undeniably a factor. But beyond that, Paris rose above mere socialite status when a 3-year-old sex tape hit the Internet a week before the television debut of the reality show "The Simple Life", in which Paris and fellow brat Nicole Richie were plucked from their upper crust lifestyle and dumped into minimum wage jobs with the cameras rolling. I never once watched the show—which is mildly surprising since I was a huge "Green Acres" fan as a child—but then again Eva Gabor was incredibly charming, and apparently Paris and Nicole were not. From all reports I have heard, the alleged hilarity of the show stemmed from the stunning indifference and/or contempt these girls held for the people, responsibilities, and values that they encountered in the alien environment of the working class. The show was a hit, and Paris became THE star thanks to the media synergy generated by the sex tape, and because evidently she was even more hilariously indifferent and contemptuous than Nicole was.
What followed was the now-familiar media dance of celebrity, in which fame becomes its own justification. Three 24-hour "news" channels, numerous other media outlets, all competing for content of interest to the "inquiring minds" clamoring for more information on the famously familiar—and Paris become not just a wealthy socialite, but the mother of all wealthy socialites, and even though of us who didn’t give a rat’s ass couldn’t avoid her. For most of us her media presence can be summarized in one pose—Paris On The Scene, dressed more or less provocatively, with the same vapid half-smile on her face she always has—an image that has become iconic in its ubiquity. Those of us who watch Bill Maher regularly may remember when that image appeared on-screen yet again, and he proposed one of my favorite "New Rules" ever: "You can’t be famous for nothing." But she isn’t really famous for nothing.
Paris Hilton has become a poster child for class privilege. Unlike her predecessors, Paris has been able up to spin that status into greater celebrity and wealth, rather than disgrace. In today’s Bizarro World of popular (ahem) "culture", Paris has managed to parlay every gram of attention—most of it negative—into promotions for her franchise, and has perversely become a role model for youth by championing vanity, insensitivity, recklessness, and most of all decadence. As usual, South Park nailed it early on, with their portrayal of PH encouraging young girls to "get whorish" through her Spoiled Stupid Whore chain stores. (My favorite moment was the Barbie-music jingle: "Spoiled Stupid Whore Video Playset, show all the world what a slut you are!") As a parent myself, it sickens me that my children even know who Paris Hilton is, to know how that came about, and to not (until recently) be able to tell my daughter why exactly it is that it drives me crazy. Anyone who can’t fathom the public anger directed at her is probably not a parent trying to inculcate positive values in their children. To many of us, PH’s ascent has seemed a repudiation of the law of karma.
Apparently emboldened by the impunity of spiritual law, Paris has applied the same sort of chutzpah in her interactions with the worldly legal system as well, regarding the court of Los Angeles with the same sort of dismissive contempt that won her Nielsen points on "The Simple Life". Even a legal system stacked in favor of the financially privileged eventually runs out of patience, and now we are treated to the spectacle of Paris melting down in a convulsion of self-pity, having been dragged through the indignity of being jailed like one of the hoi polloi, i.e. us. Until now, tears have always been good for a "Get Out of Jail Free" card in Paris’ world—where there’s no Monopoly money, just money. But now justice is being served, and the rabble are sparking their virtual torches, burning up the tubes and phone lines to vent years of pent up rage....
So riddle me this: Paris Hilton is a narcissistically self-absorbed product of class privilege, who has risen to a prominent place in society despite the apparent absence of any particularly worthwhile gifts—thrived despite behavior that is reckless, irresponsible, and would have been reprehensible in any other time in our nation’s history—and has repeatedly demonstrated an arrogant disregard for the law, which she apparently perceives as beneath her consideration. Does that remind you of any Presidents you know?
I guess it could be a coincidence that Paris Hilton has risen to this level of celebrity during the Bush Administration—but I believe (or at least hope) that in the future this time will be looked upon as a historical aberration, an era like the late 19th century in which our fundamental principles of equality—always a compromised ideal—were egregiously abandoned to indulge the upper classes. In Paris’ world, a person’s value is based on what they’re worth—it’s the same world as BushCo’s.
Paris is going down now, and although she’ll still have brand recognition, her social stock will be taking a dive—it will never be as much fun as it was. Her tabloid trip will be darker now, and already she’s evolving into a lightning rod for class anger, expressed on a personal level. Maybe, just maybe, documentation of her decline will give the public a window into her world, and they’ll begin to see just how much they’re being taken for a ride, and by whom. Maybe somebody will notice this phenomenon, of idiots without intrinsic substance being advanced on the basis of wealth to positions of prominence, then parading their ignorance and insensitivity. Maybe the media circus surrounding Paris’ downfall, combined with the disintegration of BushCo’s façade, will provide a new synergy, an awareness of how far we’ve wandered from our national values—and Paris and Bush will come to be seen as two sides of the same coin, albeit one with no heads, just tails.
Maybe Paris isn’t politically irrelevant at all. Let’s hope her downfall is just the opening act.